Sencha

I mentioned in my opening post I sew in fits and starts.  Summer isn't a terribly productive time of year for me because it's too hot.  My sewing room is an extra bedroom upstairs and the AC just doesn't quite reach there.  Add the iron, lighting, I'm not interested in sewing when it's 40C.

However... with the Rooibos sew-a-long going on, there was a discount at Colette.  I figured if I was going to get Rooibos, I may as well pick up Sencha and Crepe as well.  They arrived and I was so excited, I had to start with something and I figured Sencha was the way to go.

I've now made 3.  The first was a muslin.  I made it out of crappy 100% polyester I was hoping would be a wearable muslin if things went well and an "oh well" if they didn't.  Well, they didn't.  The fabric frays terribly and my half-assed French seam at the shoulders took in too much.  Still, it got the concept across enough to switch to a rayon I did like.

I took more care with this version.  I bought some spray starch so it wouldn't slide around so much, I put strips of interfacing along the shoulders/neckline once I noticed it was stretching out.  I am  pleased except for a few things.

Hiking after work in my Sencha blouse.

1.  Wow is the neckline high.  After wearing it for a day and catching myself pulling it down over and over again, I took it in just a smidge and it's much more comfortable, albeit a bit slapdash.

2.  Snaps.  I didn't do a great job on the snappers.  I used pearl top snappers and I think the problem is two fold.  First, they are heavy on a drapy fabric.  Second, 6 is not enough.  There are gaps, so I've hand sewn clear snappers where it was gaping.

Past that, I love wearing it.  It is perfect for casual Fridays at work with jeans.  So I made another.

I took my time.
I did a better job marking the pattern.
My tucks are more precise.
I used satin bias tape at the neckline.
I followed those sleeve instructions as best as I could.

And it doesn't fit.  It's flattening my chest, the sleeves feel weird, it's pulling in all kinds of directions.  Maybe I'll revisit it in a week and see where I could let a little out.  It's pretty.  Well, I think it's pretty.  It's a soft bluey green colour (I really don't like green but I like this).  But I asked Mr Lina what he thought and his first comment was that it looked like a hospital gown.

Bah.